1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dispensers for storing and dispensing rolls of tape. It appears to be especially well suited for use with tapes formed of adhesive labels applied to a non-adhesive backing strip or tapes that are otherwise not adhesive as stored, such as linked postage stamps.
2. Background Art
"Self-adhesive" labels are well known in the art and consist, for example, of a die cut paper blank having a pressure sensitive adhesive coated on one side. The adhesive is covered and protected by a releasable backing, typically a specially coated paper. The backing may be peeled away from the label so that the adhesive of the label is exposed and so that the label may be attached to its intended surface.
Such labels may be manufactured and sold in page-like sheets, each sheet holding labels arranged in a rectangular array. With large numbers of labels, however, it is preferable to manufacture the labels as a continuous ribbon, with the backing sheet being formed as a non-adhesive tape and the labels attached at regularly spaced intervals. In tape form, the labels may be rolled into a compact volume.
The roll form of labels, when used with a dispenser of proper design, allows the labels to be removed easily, one at a time, with a minimum of waste, and protects the unused labels from damage or soiling such as may occur when the labels are held on sheets.
A number of types of dispensers for rolls of adhesive tape are well known. In such dispensers, the adhesive on the tape holds the tape in roll form and serves to temporarily anchor the end of the tape to the dispenser. Such dispensers are generally not suitable for tapes with no exposed active adhesive (e.g. rolls of postage stamps). Dispensers suitable for tapes without exposed active adhesive require an ancillary means for holding the end of the tape in position.
One dispenser for non-adhesive tape employs a box-like tray sized to receive the roll of tape so that the roll may rotate within the tray. A conforming separately formed cover fits over the box-like tray to provide a slot between one of its walls and an opposing wall of the tray. The length of slot provides frictional contact with the tape to resist undesired movement of the tape. A finger hole permits advancing the tape within the dispenser or holding the tape for tearing off a portion.
Stand alone dispensers designed to hold and dispense non-adhesive tapes in an attractive and convenient manner on a desk or work space may cost as much or more than the tape they contain. Potential purchasers of non-adhesive tapes, especially those who use small amounts of tape, may be discouraged by the need to purchase a separate dispenser. For those who need to purchase a variety of tapes, the purchase of multiple stand alone dispensers is unduly burdensome.
The use of stand alone dispensers also often requires that the tapes have additional packaging for sale or shipment. Such primary packaging, which is discarded when the tape is loaded into the dispenser, ultimately increases the cost of the tape.
Accordingly, there is a need for a low cost dispenser that may be distributed with tapes and which may serve also as a protective primary packaging during sales and shipment. In this regard, it is known to package rolls of self-adhesive labels or the like in cardboard boxes where the lid of the box provides a slot for dispensing the tape of labels. These boxes, however, are less than fully satisfactory as dispensers because they lack the desired stiffness and resilience for frequent use. Further, for narrow tapes, the box dimensions are also narrow and thus awkward to store and use.